On the one hand, while governments turned their backs on artists and institutions in 2024, they found support elsewhere. Let’s take a look at the grants and prizes given out last year.
In February, the Trellis Art Fund was established in New York. Over the next two years, it will grant $100,000 to 12 artists with no strings attached. In April, Bank of America announced the list of 24 institutions that would receive funds for conservation efforts. The prominent names include the Guggenheim Museum and the Louvre in Paris. While the amount was not mentioned, a report detailed that since 2010 the program has disbursed over $20 million to museums.
The iconic Baxter St at Camera Club in New York received a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation. Spread over three years, the institute would utilize the funds towards growing its photography-based programs, alongside expanding the capacity and retaining staff. In September, the Rabkin Foundation announced the winners of its art journalism grants. The winners included Art in America senior editor Emily Watlington and Holand Cotter, chief art critic at the New York Times. The recipients would receive funds of $50,000. In December, Palm Beach country received a $500,000 grant from the Florida-based non-profit Quantum Foundation. The funds would be used to build a Black History Museum in the area.
Christmas definitely came early in October for artists. First, Otobong Nkanga was awarded $100,000 by the Nasher Sculpture Center to support her work. Later, Julian Charrière and Cecilia Vicuña were announced as the inaugural winners of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize. Established by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, earlier in the year, the prize comes with a $100,000 purse and support from LA MOCA. The same month, Bangladeshi artist Ashfika Rahman won the 2023 edition of the Future Generation Art Prize. The award, established in 2009 to support young artists, carries a purse of $100,000. In December, Jasleen Kaur won the 2024 Turner Prize for her sociomobile – a Ford car draped in a massive doily. She received £25,000 in prize money as well as an exhibition at Tate Britain.